• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
DEMENTIA
•
 
Dementia is NOT a normal part of aging
•
 
Symptoms of dementia can be caused by different diseases
•
 
Some symptoms of dementia may include:
1.
 
Memory loss –
The individual may repeat questions or statements, misplacethings or lose items, forget names of others, forget appointments or to takemedications/pay bills. The person may begin to forget recent events withprogression to forgetting events/people/history from longer ago. The individualmay show increasing forgetfulness and disorientation (person, place, time).Learning new ideas/tasks and remembering new information is often difficult.2.
 
Difficulty with understanding language and/or using language –
Theindividual usually displays decreased ability to write or speak. Sometimes theperson may not be able to “find” the right word to use in a sentence. They maysubstitute any word or may wait for someone to assist them or “fill the spot” withan appropriate word. Terms often associated with language deficits may include:word-finding problems, echolalia, confabulation and perseveration.3.
 
Motor skills may become impaired –
The individual may experience difficultywith movement, especially fine coordination and control of the hands and arms.If the individual does show signs of in-coordination and lack of control withmovement, deficits may be seen in dressing tasks, eating, writing, opening andclosing small/tight containers, etc. Sometimes, a person’s brain doesn’t alwaystell the hands/body what to do and this can lead to problems as discussed above aswell as difficulty with walking, balance, and planning movements.
4.
 
Executive functions/Cognitive and perceptual skills decline –
The individualmay show problems with judgment, reasoning, problem-solving and planning.Often the person loses the ability to think abstractly and requires concrete orspecific messages. A person may require assistance to plan more unfamiliar tasksand organize things to ensure safety/thoroughness. A person with dementia maybegin to lose insight regarding consequences of certain actions or non-actions.Mathematical skills often show decline due to attention and concentration as wellas the above, making it more difficult to do finances, shopping, moneymanagement without assistance. Learning new skills is usually difficult.Familiar, repetitive tasks are often performed more accurately and appropriatelyfor longer periods from the onset of the disease.
 5.
 
Emotional/personality changes may appear --
An individual may showdecreased awareness of or an inability to recognize stimuli (and at other times anemotional response is likely due to the person’s awareness of the “changes” goingon in and around them). There are many behaviors that can be associated with theabove including: irritability, anxiety, depression, aggression, withdrawal,paranoia, new/increased confusion, incontinence, and/or changes in personalhygiene, sleep or sexual activity
.
 
BASIC POINTS TO CONSIDERMost people do NOT have dementia:
 
Before age 65, less than ½ to 1% are affected (and of those, it is more commonlydue to head injuries, although Alzheimer Disease can occur before age 65).
 
After 65, prevalence of dementia increases to about 5-10% of the population.
 
After 75, the rate increases to 18-20% of the population.
 
After age 85, the rate goes up to 35-40% (some estimates go as high as 50%).
 
After age 65, 50-70% of the dementia cases are thought to be caused byAlzheimer’s disease.These low percentages translate into a high number of people with dementia.Currently, approximately 4.5 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s (the mostcommon form of later life dementia). This is likely to increase as the populationcontinues to age.
Dementia is NOT a disease:
Dementia is a
diagnostic category
representing some/all of the following symptomswhich are severe enough to interfere with daily functioning, noticeable in a personwho is awake or alert, and typically progressive if untreated (the pattern of losses maybe uneven):
•
 
Memory Loss
•
 
Loss of Judgment
•
 
Loss of Abstract Reasoning
•
 
Loss of Sense of Time
•
 
Change in Emotional Responses
•
 
Problems with Speech and Communication
•
 
Loss of Coordination
Many other things can CAUSE dementia-like symptoms BESIDES dementia:
 
Stress/Fatigue
 
Malnutrition
 
Medications
 
Other Medical Conditions (e.g. Depression, Delirium, Stroke, Fever)
 
Motivation (or lack thereof)
 
Sensory Deficits
 
Ageist Expectations
HOW CAN YOU TELL WHAT IS NORMAL (AND WHAT IS NOT?)Signs and symptoms which SHOULD trigger consideration of an evaluation:
•
 
Progressive cognitive changes (new forgetfulness…)
•
 
Psychiatric symptoms (withdrawal, apathy…)
•
 
Personality changes (inappropriate friendliness, blunting…)
•
 
Problem behavior (wandering, agitation…)
•
 
Changes in day to day functioning (difficulty driving, etc)
 
A complete evaluation can give you information regarding:
•
 
The nature of the person’s illness
•
 
Whether the condition can be medically treated/reversed
•
 
The extent of the disability
•
 
The areas where a person may still function successfully
•
 
Other health problems to be treated
•
 
The social and psychological needs/resources of the patient and his/her family
•
 
Changes which may be expected in the future
Some evaluative procedures:
•
 
Complete physical medical exam
•
 
Blood tests (e.g., infection, electrolytes)
•
 
Neurological tests (e.g., MRI, CT, PET)
•
 
Cognitive tests (e.g. MMSE)
WHAT IF IT
 IS
DEMENTIA?What is the cause of the symptoms?
Many diseases lead to dementia and they differ in the areas they affect and theirsymptoms. There are about 100 or so diseases associated with the clinical symptoms of dementia, including:Alzheimer Disease Prion Dementias (CJD, GSS, etc.)Vascular Dementia/Multi-Infarct Lewy Body DementiaFrontotemporal Degeneration (Pick’s) AIDS/Syphilis Paresis, etc.Huntington Disease
What are the possible treatments?
Medical (depends upon cause) EnvironmentalBehavioral FamilialPsychosocial Palliative
Things to Remember:
•
 
People with dementia are still people
•
 
People in the early stages have many remaining abilities
•
 
People are often AFRAID of dementia
•
 
Care giving can be stressful
•
 
Being cared for can be stressful
•
 
Cognitive losses can impact family relationships and roles
•
 
There
IS
help available
HOW DO I TALK TO A PERSON WITH DEMENTIA?Improving Your Communication Strategies:
Communication involves both the sending of messages to others (production) and theunderstanding of messages sent by others (comprehension). Communication includes notonly the words we use, but also our tone and body language. Ways to improvecommunication include:
Stop and Receive the Other Person’s Communication:
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...